From the Top
by BrokenAngel5683
Summary: This story is a rewrite of everything from the beginning. What if Terri and Quinn had been honest from the beginning? How would that change the course of events? Would everyone find their way to the Glee Club? Who would be throwing slushies?
1. A Lie Isn't A Lie If You Don't Tell It

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A Lie Isn't a Lie if You Don't Tell It.**

"A hysterical pregnancy?" Terri demanded of the doctor, her eyes wide. "What does that even mean?"

"Well," the doctor began to explain,"It means that you aren't pregnant. That you wanted to be so much…" Terri tuned out after that. All she could think about was the fact that she wasn't pregnant. She wasn't pregnant, but she had wanted to be. She had wanted to be because she could feel him slipping away.

She didn't know how to tell him she wasn't pregnant. She felt like she was holding on to their marriage by a thread. She wasn't even sure what had changed between them, but she did know, that she wanted to make it work. She loved Will. But to tell him she had imagined a pregnancy. She could just see them, everything they ever shared, every kiss, every hug, every I love you slipping away in the blink of an eye. Her sister wanted her to pretend to be pregnant anyway. Like some bad rendition of Baby Mama with Amy Poehler. And hopefully she'd get pregnant before then. Or find a baby.

The front door opened and Will walked into the apartment. His nostrils were immediately assailed with the scent of chicken pot pie. One of Terri's specialties. He smiled as he set down his briefcase and then took of his coat, hanging it on the hook near the door. "Honey, I'm—" he called out, being cut off by the appearance of his wife as he walked into the dining room.

The table was set with the fancy settings. Candles were lit. And for a moment, he just admired his wife, how her skin glowed, how her hair shone slightly golden in the candle light. For a moment, he remembered her beauty and all the reasons that he decided to be with her, in high school and beyond.

She gave a thin lipped stiff smile. "Sit," she told him. And then he realized that things weren't right. He could see the tension in her jaw, the stiffness of her shoulders and back. She lacked the usual force that she existed with. The force that threatened to overpower you if you let it. That often did over power him, if he were honest. The force that pretty much made sure that he always did what she wanted. But now it was absent. And to see her so small, so sullen, so deflated, made him worry. He didn't question her, he sat. She sat. They stared for a long moment before she gave a small laugh full of tension and said,"Eat." And he felt compelled to oblige her, with how she looked the behavior. "This is really good," he complimented. But he felt silly talking about the quality of her cooking when there were obviously so many other things going on. How long would they dance around it?

She let out a long even breath, looking over at him. She tried to summon the lie, the words that could turn this into a happy occasion. The words that wouldn't make her out to be crazy. The words, that assuming she could get pregnant soon would fix everything. But as she looked across the table at him, her eyes finding his. And she felt the jangle of nerves. She saw the concern and worry flooding his eyes. He was such a nice guy. Wonderful. "I have news," she spoke, her voice shaking. She couldn't decide what to do. To lie. To tell the truth. Unsure if it even really mattered anymore. Maybe he was too far gone now. Maybe they were too far gone.

The words that she had news, reminded Will about what today was. She had gone to the doctor today, to find out if she was pregnant or not. A voice at the back of his mind told him that something was wrong, something was changing. She had never asked him to go. And he hadn't volunteered. Wasn't this something married couples should do together? Shouldn't he already know the news? He reached up and loosened his tie a little. "And?" Shouldn't he not feel like he was suffocating at the thought of having a baby with her.

As she stared into his eyes, Terri couldn't do it. She couldn't look into his eyes. Worried, concerned, loving eyes, and tell him a lie. She felt like she had to though. And then she cried. What could she do? What could she ever do to fix this?

He got up from his chair and moved across the room to kneel next to her as fast as he could. "Hey," he said to her, cradling her face in his hands, wiping away her tears. "What? What is it?" His voice practically a whisper.

She leaned into his palm. She relished his touch. The look like she was still important. She worried what he might do when she spoke the words that she wasn't pregnant. That she had imagined it all. "Will," she gasped out. She took a few shuddering breaths before saying, "There is no baby." And then she sobbed.

Will looked at her in shock for a moment. And then he felt guilty for the relief that came over him in a wave. "You miscarried?" In response, she continued to sob. She knew it wasn't right, that technically it was a lie too, but it was a lie that they could both live with.

Will soothed Terri, pulled her into his lap and rocked her,"I'm right here," he promised,"I'm here for you through this. Everything will be okay. We can always try again." And his words, as she leaned against his chest, soaking his sweater vest with her tears, were possibly the first soothing words amongst the ones that they'd spoken to each other in years. He was hers. He was with her. He was hers. They were together. And it would be forever, like they promised the day they got married.


	2. But I'm a Celibate Cheerleader

**But I'm a Celibate cheerleader.**

Quinn jumped as the timer on her cell phone went off. She breathed out slowly through her mouth and in through her nose, trying to stem the nausea, and trying to calm her nerves. She was being forced to stare down her future right now. To take responsibility for the consequences of her actions. And it's not even like people would go, oh, we figured that of her. She was a girl who went to church. She was head of the celibacy club. She had the sweetest boyfriend, who respected her values. Too bad his best friend didn't. That's what had landed her here in the first place. She reached out to grab the stick off of the sink ledge, casting one final glance around the girls' locker room. It wasn't really safe to do this here. But it was safer than doing it at home. Her hand shook and the stick felt unbelievably heavy, leaden in her arm. She pulled it up and then she closed her eyes and said one last prayer, a Hail Mary. "Pray for us sinners now…" she trailed off, adding, and at the hour of our death, silently, in her head, before flipping the test over to see the results.

Her whole body went weak. She felt sick all over again, although now from panic. Not from morning sickness. There was a plus sign. She was pregnant. She leaned heavily against the wall before sinking down it, pulling her knees against her chest, hiding her head in them, her tears soaking her dry skin, exposed just below her Cheerios skirt.

What was she going to do? If her parents found out, well , she wasn't completely sure what they would do. But she was sure that the queen of the celibacy ball turning up pregnant, and therefore very uncelibate, wouldn't go over well. The proud smile on her father's face when she picked out her white pristine gown for the dance flashed through her mind. She didn't want to lose that. She couldn't stand his disappointment, his frown. She didn't want to entertain the idea that her father's arms would no longer be safe and warm for her. That they might no longer provide love.

And then Finn's wide, trusting, honest eyes flashed through her mind. And she hated herself in that moment. She loved Finn. Had for years now. He had stood by her. He had never pressured her. He even remembered the most traumatizing experience of his life to calm himself down, so as not to get overzealous. If she told him the truth, it would break his heart. Hers too. If she said she slept with his best friend, she would destroy his world. He would finally see bad in a world where right now, he only saw good. She would be the person to ruin his rose colored glasses, to jade him. She didn't know if she could accept the responsibility of it.

And then his eyes flashed in her mind. Puck. Noah. The guy she'd given it all away to. In a moment of insecurity, she had found Puck and not Finn. Coach Sylvester had demeaned her. She felt fat and horrible and about as big as a flea. Finn was supposed to be at the party. But Puck had found her first. He'd given her a wine cooler. And she had accepted. One became two. And before she knew it, she was letting him fix her, put her back together. And Puck wasn't exactly mister let's wait. Not that it was his fault. It was hers too. At any point she could have said no, or what about Finn. But she hadn't. sure she was weak, insecure, and drunk, but she didn't feel like that was the full reason, and it wasn't a good excuse. She thought of the things Puck had said that she had taken comfort in, but ultimately ignored. Like that it wasn't a normal hook up for him. And that she was beautiful. She saw his easy smile. She saw the way he winked at her sometimes. But she couldn't see him doing this, handling this. He wasn't going to support her. He didn't want kids, or a real girlfriend. And, truthfully, she didn't want to be with him. He never took anything seriously. And it would be no time before he would cheat on her.

She saw Finn in her mind again. She loved him. He loved her. She could maintain his innocence. All it would take is one lie. And what was one white lie compared to the sins she had already committed?

She rose from the ground, her legs feeling wobbly like Jell-o as she began to walk. Over to the trashcan to throw away the test and then out to the field to find Finn. She wondered, but only briefly if she was ruining his life too by saddling him with someone else's responsibility.

"Finn, I need to tell you something," Quinn said to Finn out on the football field. All traces of tears were gone, she gave him a small smile. She had to keep up appearances. She couldn't draw a scene. Her eyes cast over to where Coach Sylvester was standing with the other Cheerios.

"Hey," Finn said, grinning at her, reaching out for her hand, pulling her closer, one hand resting casually on her hip. He didn't suspect anything. She looked cool, calm, collected, normal as ever. "What's up?"

She tugged on the bottom of her Cheerios skirt, nervous, staring at the ground. He tickled her side lightly. That was usually Finn's way of getting her to come out with it, to remind her they were in a conversation. She laughed softly, leaning into him, relishing the feeling of normalcy for the moment.

But then she had to look up at him. And she had to say it. Her laugh stopped short. She studied his face. Memorizing it, looking for any hint that he suspected, watching for the slightest hint of disgust or disappointment as she spoke. "I'm pregnant."

His eyes widened. He gaped at her, otherwise unresponsive. His body went limp. What? The idea was mind boggling, they hadn't even had sex. "You're sure?" It was the only thing he could think to ask, quickly followed by,"How?"

She nodded, dipping her head down again. "I'm sure, Finn. I've been sick for weeks now. And I'm late. And I just took a test…"She trailed off, her eyes meeting his for a moment. He was crushed under the weight of the fear and pain that he saw there. She looked like she felt like the world was over. And sure he'd had other ideas, other plans. And he could see some of them fading, but he didn't feel like his future was disappearing, just changing. She looked down at the ground again, unable to meet his eyes. Under his stare, she couldn't do what she'd set out to do. She couldn't lie. She was going to be responsible for singlehandedly destroying his world view. She took in a shuttering breath, unable to talk for a moment, lost for air. "It was a mistake," she said, her voice sounding horse.

Her shoulders shook. He tilted her head up. Tears shown in her eyes. Then he knew she was sad, ashamed, not dishonest. But he was confused as to her answer. "Mistake?" Sure, it had been. Neither had been planning for this. "But how?" he reiterated, searching her eyes with his. "Finn," she said, just pleading with him to see the truth, to not make her say it out loud. "I made a mistake."

It was then that he saw it in her eyes, the truth of it. He hadn't been involved in her mistake. This was someone else's baby. Not his. She'd slept with some other guy. "Oh," was all he could say. But as he looked down at her, he realized it didn't really matter to him. His or not. She was his. And he would protect her. "Hey, it's okay, I'm here," Finn whispered to her, pulling her into his arms, and in that moment, he decided that he was. "I love you," he whispered into her hair. It was true. He did love her. And he would take care of her. He wouldn't let her down when she needed him most. If there was one thing he had learned from his father, it was that you always stood by the ones you loved. "I'm here…"

"Finn," the voice was hard, sharp, staccato. Finn's head snapped up. He was in the locker room. He was sweaty and muddy and sore, but he could barely remember how he got that way. Probably from practice. As he surveyed his surroundings, he was definitely in the locker room after practice. All the guys were. Including his best friend, standing shirtless in front of him: Puck.

"Sorry, I've been a bit distracted…" Finn began.

"Yeah," Puck agreed, his tone edging on sarcastic,"No kidding." And Finn was gone again. Puck snapped his jersey out at Finn, hitting him against his football helmet. "Dude, what the hell is up? I mean you can't focus…you played like…" a slow smirk spread across his lips, he gave a slight shrug,"More crap than usual."

Finn would've retorted had he had the ability to truly formulate one. "Just something Quinn told me," he answered. Puck seemed to perk up at the mention of Quinn's name. "It's got me distracted," Finn finished.

"Well, what exactly did the ice princess say?" Puck asked. It wasn't that he disliked Quinn. In fact it was quite the opposite. He really liked Quinn. He had even in the privacy of his own head toyed with the word love, but it wasn't until that night that he was sure. But it was his best friend's girl. He knew that. He felt guilty and all, he didn't want to hurt Finn, which is why he followed Quinn's lead and didn't say anything, didn't admit even an inkling of his feelings, didn't push for more, but he had never felt like it had been wrong.

"Don't say that about her. You know her. You know she's not really all cold hearted and cruel like she tries to make herself out to be." Finn defended.

Puck rolled his eyes. This had become a very well coordinated dance between them. "Yeah, whatever," he said. But he did know. He knew, maybe even better than Finn about the vulnerable, warm side of Quinn Fabray. "So what did she say?" he reiterated.

"She's pregnant," Finn responded. Puck's eyes grew wide. He felt the air leave his lungs. Quinn was pregnant? He felt everything in that moment. Part of him was selfishly happy because he might finally get the girl he always admired from afar. And another part of him was worried about how all this would affect him and her. But the feeling that overwhelmed him was anger. He was pretty sure Ms. Fabray hadn't had sex with Mr. Charming, all the other thoughts he had stemmed off of this assumption also, which meant this was his kid, and he was having to hear about it from a third party. A worried third party. A third party who wanted to play at being the daddy that Puck actually was.

"So she finally gave you the key to her chastity belt?" Puck questioned, anger, belligerence entering his tone.

Finn's brow furrowed, not understanding his friend's animosity. "No," he responded, shaking his head. Realizing too late, that none of that was something he should probably be sharing. "She said she made a mistake, that it was someone else's."

"So, why's this got you distracted?" Puck asked brutally. "I mean not your kid, not your responsibility, not your problem, right?"

Finn shook his head at his best friend. Sometimes he wondered what exactly went on in Puck's head. "It doesn't exactly work like that," Finn stated, getting up and walking away, not wanting to debate morals or the right thing to do right now, when he still felt so overwhelmed.

"Quinn," Puck called out to her, jogging up to stand next to her by her car.

She turned toward him, quizzical. "Hey, Puck," she said, forcing the words out awkwardly. "What are you doing here?" then she remembered football practice. "Is Finn okay?" she asked, panicking a little.

Puck just stared at her. But to her defense, she didn't know he knew. "Finn's fine," he felt slightly disgusted at that being her first thought.

"Why are you so angry?" Quinn asked him.

"Finn just told me some interesting news," Puck stated. Quinn's eyes grew wide, she seemed to shrink into the car a little. That's not what he wanted, he wasn't trying to scare her. Not really. He was pissed, no doubt. She hadn't even thought of telling him out of courtesy or anything. Just kept it to herself, and her boyfriend. Her boyfriend. His best friend. Now the father of his child, essentially. "Were you ever going to tell me? Hey, Puck, you're going to be a daddy. Might have been nice to know before Finn."

Quinn stared up at Puck, her eyes narrowing, trying to discern what he wanted. But she couldn't. "You don't want to be a father, Puck. And I don't want you to be the father either. I might have made a mistake with you…"

Puck just stared at her incredulously. Did she really not get it? I mean sure he still slept around. He'd even been with Santana just that afternoon, but that wasn't the point. The point was that Quinn was who meant something to him. She always had. He thought that that night, he had meant something to her too. Maybe he knew what he was doing was wrong, maybe he knew she'd want to wait, but he was tired of having to pretend he didn't like her. Tired of pretending he didn't notice her. She hadn't objected. He'd been given a moment and he took it. "You know I meant it, right?"

"Meant what, Puckerman?" Quinn asked. Puck smirked in response. She used more formal greetings when she wanted to try and distance herself from someone. It meant there was something between them. Something that meant something to her.

"That you weren't just a hook up to me," he said,"I mean, I might not have had all of this in mind, but we could do this. We could make this work. I want to help you."

She didn't know what to think. The truth was, she didn't know if she dared believe it. She didn't know if he cared. She had always assumed, since he never brought it up that she had just been one of many, something used and discarded. And that belief had, at the time, made her love for Finn stronger. But knowing this. She closed her eyes. And for a moment she could see it. A family with him. A potential path. She could see a little girl with curly brunette hair. She saw their home together, a small apartment. She had always been friends with Puck. And they had undeniable chemistry. She saw herself as a school teacher, Puck working in pools still. She saw a life. She smiled a little. She saw somewhere where this baby wasn't the end but the beginning.

"Someone's gotta teach him how to fight and hit on the ladies," Puck added.

And then she saw something different. A mess of a home that she had to clean. Him laying around playing some game system. Her dropping out of school. All because of an overly unrealistic and romantic notion from a boy who had no idea how to carry it out. She opened her eyes and smirked at him. She shook her head. "I may have made a mistake with you," she reiterated,"But I won't let you ruin the rest of my life." He looked prepared to say something else, but she ended that thought with the words. "I'm not keeping it." It wasn't her intention to abort the baby, just to give it up. But she knew those words would get rid of Puck.

Puck felt like all the air had been sucked from his lungs. For her to say that about him. He didn't like it, but fine. But for her to talk like their baby, their one connection meant nothing. "You really are a horrible person," he forced out through gritted teeth. Already texting Santana to meet him somewhere as he walked away.

Tears pooled up in Quinn's eyes. As she glanced up, she saw Finn standing there. "Really? With him?" he said. She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered. But when she opened them, she was standing alone.


	3. All On Their Own

**All On Their Own**

Will had taken a few days off work, to stay with Terri, make sure she was okay. She seemed to be recovering quickly. And there seemed to almost be a freer and easier way about the two of them. Like some unspoken agreement to let things go, some unknown dynamic shifting. For once she was the one who needed him. He was the stronger of the two. But now, today was his first day back.

"Oh, hey Will," the redhead said as she joined him in the Teacher's Lounge. She smiled broadly at him. He returned the smile, but not the same as he would have before. Emma was nice. She was pretty. He was attracted to her. But today for the first time in a while, he was more attracted to his wife. "Hey Emma," he greeted.

She shifted awkwardly for a moment, unsure how to address it. She finally settled on. "I'm sorry for your loss," she began,"How's Terri?" Then she gave him a meaningful look, sure that this had affected him too. "How're you doing?"

Will wasn't sure how to respond. But he decided for honesty. Sure a part of him was sad, did feel the stabbing pain of loss. But that part he could save for Terri. He needed to be able to talk about his other feelings. "To be honest. At first I was relieved," he told her,"I just wasn't ready." Still, the answer to why wasn't he ready eluded him. Because he knew that he wanted kids. I guess, what it came down to was that he knew his relationship with Terri wasn't ready. "We weren't really ready," he rephrased his statement.

"I see," Emma responded with a nod, waiting for him to say more.

"But I still miss the possibility," he explained. "I do want kids. And I think Terri does. She seemed happy at the idea. Maybe down the road."

Emma nodded. "You should talk to her," she said,"Find out what she really wants. I could give you the name of a couples therapist."

Will wasn't sure how he felt about therapy. He hoped that it wasn't to the point that he couldn't have a conversation with his own wife if he needed to. But instead he said. "Maybe when she's back on her feet," he glanced over, seeing the time. "I've gotta head to Glee Club. I'll see you later." He smiled at her.

"Oh, okay, bye Will," she called after him, turning to watch him go, a wistful expression on her face.

He was not prepared for what he found in the choir room. Rachel was apparently in a very heated argument with Kurt and Mercedes. "But it's a girl's part," she said to Kurt her tone biting. Kurt and Mercedes exchanged a look of disbelief at the statement.

"Well I'm a girl," Mercedes pointed out. "I could do it just as well as you."

Rachel rolled her eyes. Do it just as well as her? No one could do it just as well as her. That was the point. She wanted to be seen, noticed, known for something in this school. For something other than being the girl with two dads, an overachiever, or the girl with a toddler's sense of style. Though if she were perfectly honest, she loved all these things about herself, her dads especially. And at least she didn't walk around looking like she was homeless, or about to drink your blood, or in super slutty clothes. She was someone she could be proud of. But she wanted others to be proud of her. She wanted her dads to be proud of her. She spotted Mr. Shuester walking in. She turned her attention immediately to him. "Mr. Shue," she began,"Please explain to them that the lead role should go to someone with poise and vocal control. And that it would be perfectly fine if Kurt wanted a solo, but he can't have my solo. He can't have the female lead."

Will sighed, almost wishing to be at home again today. "Well, we haven't assigned the solo to anyone yet, Rachel."

"Well I don't know why not. It's a gross oversight on your part. I mean, I think we all know who the best candidate is," Rachel pointed out.

"Please don't tell me, you're just going to give her the part Mr. Shue," Mercedes said. "I mean this is a club, right? It's not Rachel and the Duwops."

"Well maybe it should be," Rachel bit out, not liking her talent level being attacked by someone else. She never said that either of them couldn't sing. She never said they couldn't be headliners. Just that maybe this time they shouldn't be.

"I didn't join to be always singing vowel sounds in the background," Kurt pointed out.

Will wanted to end this insanity, so he looked around the room. The only people not in the fray were Artie and Tina. Though they also looked pretty upset. "I think the solos go to Artie and Tina this time," he said to the group,"Until the rest of you figure out what it truly means to be a team."

The rest of the meeting was painful. Rachel, Kurt, and Mercedes could hardly hide their contempt at being relegated to the background. And Tina and Artie feeling the animosity never really found their footing.

When it was over, Rachel approached Artie. "Hello Artie," she greeted him.

"Hi," Artie responded, feeling confused, wondering if he was getting ambushed or something. Was she going to try to take the lead from him after the fit she through about Kurt wanting the female lead,"Rachel."

"I was just thinking, you know, about what Mr. Shue said. And he's right. We are a team. And I wasn't being a very good team player in there. I just, I really want us to be good, you know. And maybe I didn't go about it the best way, but I was just trying to look out for what was best for the club," she said to him,"You understand, right?"

"Uh…yeah, sure," Artie responded, not really sure still where this was going. But knowing that she thought the rest of them were inferior still stung a little.

"And I was thinking that maybe things might be easier, in the club. For the club. If it had a leader. Or maybe two leaders. A male and a female leader. You and me." Rachel gestured between the two.

Artie narrowed his eyes. He doubted deeply Rachel's ability to be truly cruel or manipulative, but he wasn't totally buying it. She'd never talked to him really. And she hadn't even tried to argue with him for lead. He had a feeling that this was, well a power play of some point. "let me ask you something, Rachel," he said. She perked up, pursing her lips, her eyes widening, a face of over attentiveness. "Did you ever even consider me or Tina for the solo? As competition?"

Rachel's face fell, her forehead wrinkling. "Well Artie, you weren't exactly vying for it…"

Artie shook his head. "I don't know if I can co-lead a team with someone who doesn't believe in me," he said simply before wheeling away.

Kurt gave Rachel a sidelong look as he and Mercedes headed to his car. "It's about time that someone out divaed Rachel Berry."


	4. Everything Yours Is Mine

**Everything Yours Is Mine**

"And then I'm going to…"Santana was murmuring in Puck's ear about what she would do to him, if they skipped out of school, or found a spot in a locker room or something. But he was staring off into space. And usually, about now, she was a huge fan of the dazed look. The one where his eyes glazed over in anticipation of what was to come. Where she knew he was imagining everything she was telling him and more. But this wasn't that look. This was the I'm just not even paying attention to you stare off into the distance look. "Puck," she yelled, hitting him upside the head.

He focused back on the girl standing in front of him and tried to play it off, a smirk forming on his lips. "So you want it rough today?" he moved closer to her, to claim her lips with his own, but she turned her head away at the last moment. "What the hell babe?" he demanded of her.

"Don't babe me,"Santana snapped at him. She was getting totally fed up with him. Sure they weren't dating in the typical sense. She would never do the whole steady boyfriend, I love you blah blah blah thing. She had no interest. But he was hers. And everyone knew it. And she wasn't exactly done with him yet, so he wasn't allowed to be done with her either. "Where were you just now? It's been like this for days now. Every time you're with me, you're not really with me." She crossed her arms firmly over her chest.

Puck looked down at her. "I thought one of the huge bonuses of this, was that we didn't have to have these conversations," he said to her point blank.

"You're an ass," she said to him,"I don't care about a lot of things where we are concerned. But when we're together. I want you to be with me. Not bouncing around in your own head space. I deserve that. Real girlfriend or not."

Puck looked down at his sneakers. She was right. Even if they weren't a solid couple or whatever, she did deserve his attention, especially in those most intimate of moments. "Babe, look, I'm sorry, I've just had a lot going on lately."

Santana nodded, cocking a hip. Puck winced. It was a sure fire sign that he wasn't getting any, at least for a while, when she got mad enough to cock her hip like that, arms folded over her chest, eyes meant to slice like daggers. "Does what you have going on lately have anything to do with the fact that Finn won't talk to you anymore. And don't you dare think I haven't noticed all the weirdness between Finn and Quinn. And the way you look at her sometimes." When he should have been looking at her, at Santana.

Puck was getting upset. This was not turning out how he wanted it to. What he had wanted was release, a way to unwind, and what he was getting was all this crap from Santana. Next thing she was going to be telling him to work it out or fix his life somehow. That's not what he needed from her. "Yeah, okay, yeah, it has to with all of that," his tone was agitated,"Quinn and I were together."

Santana's jaw hung open in shock. "Together? As in…?" she didn't need Puck to confirm it. Quinn had been sick. And she hadn't needed to borrow any tampons lately, when she should have the river running through it like ninety percent of the squad did right now. And then she grinned a little. "You knocked up queen of the celibacy club, didn't you?"

Puck's mouth opened and closed, opened and closed. And finally he gave an unconvincing rendition of,"What? No!"

She grinned at Puck and then leaned up and kissed his cheek. "What?" he was shocked. She chuckled a little. "You've done more than you know." For once, she had something, something she could shove in little miss perfect's face, something where she was on top. Quinn had beat her in the race to win quarter back. And she beat her in cheerio's auditions, for captain. But at least Santana wasn't a fraud. At least she wasn't a pregnant teenager.

Finn still wasn't talking to her. And she was avoiding Puck. He tried to talk to her all the time. Yesterday she found an envelope with money in her locker. She felt guilty for not at least saying thank you. But the truth was, he knew she needed it, so he must know that she's grateful. It would buy her more time. She intercepted the bills, but they had to be paid before phone calls were made, before more bills were sent, before it got too out of hand and she couldn't keep it a secret forever. She just hoped that if she ignored Puck as much as possible, then hopefully, one day, Finn would realize she was still in love with him. He would realize he could trust her again. That Puck meant nothing. That he was out of the picture.

But it was all weighing on her. No one knew. Except for Puck and Finn. And one she refused to speak to. And the other refused to speak to her. She had no support. And she didn't know if there was anyone else that she could trust with the news. Ms. Pillsbury had tried to get her to talk a few times. All break ups are hard. You should have no trouble finding someone else. What Ms. Pillsbury didn't get was that she was on the verge of losing it all. And it was her own fault. It was her cross to bear. She couldn't blame anyone else. She had chosen to sleep with her boyfriend's best friend. She hadn't made sure he used protection. She didn't feel she was entitled to sympathy, not really.

But when Santana came into practice with a smile adorning her face, and Puck followed her, grabbing her by the arm and demanding something, to which he didn't like the answer, a feeling of dread settled into her stomach like a ball of lead.

"Hey Quinny," Santana greeted as she joined Quinn on the mat to stretch. "Looking a little down."

Brittany looked over at Quinn, frowning, genuinely concerned for her friend,"Is Finn still not talking to you?"

Quinn looked over at the girls. How had it gotten around that she and Finn were in trouble? It seemed impossible for that to be happening already. For the whole school to know. She gave Finn a small smile as he boys headed into the gym, decked out in their football gear. He promptly looked away. "Of course we're still talking," she said as if it were nothing. Her friends couldn't know why there was a falling out, nor could they know she was pregnant.

As the boys began to head out to the field, Santana noticed Puck staring at Quinn again. She felt the fury building up. She wanted to growl at the injustice of it. Quinn always got what Santana wanted. Quinn got Finn. Quinn got cheerleading captain. And Santana had thought she was safe in wanting Puck, but even that, Quinn got.

"That's not what Finn said last night," Santana said simply.

Quinn's head shot up and turned towards Santana. "Last night? What were you doing with Finn last night?"

Santana smirked and lied,"Deflowering him."

Quinn narrowed her eyes. But she decided not to get upset. After all, this was Santana. She had a penchant for making certain things up. She liked the drama. "I don't believe you," she finally said, though she felt uncertainty and doubt tug at her. She didn't want it to be true. But she hadn't spoken to Finn in days. Who knew what he would do. But instead out loud, she held her head high and put her faith in Finn. "Finn wouldn't do that to me."

Santana let out a throaty laugh, the smirk still playing on her lips. "Apparently there's a lot of things that Finn won't do to you, that he'll do to me. You're missing out by the way Fabray." Santana then turned and gave Finn a flirtatious grin and a wave. Finn grinned back and nodded in her direction before giving a shy wave. It was true. Quinn felt her world collapsing. She'd known he was mad. She'd even more than understood it. But she had always assumed that they had something special, that in the end, he would decide she was worth it, that the thing with Puck was nothing, that he would support her, not screw the brains out of one of her best friends.

"I can't believe you," Quinn growled at Santana.

"What?" Santana said, barely shrugging, like it wasn't even worth not caring about,"It's not like you two were together. We didn't break any rules." She got up and began walking o the water fountain. Quinn sprang up before she even knew what she was doing and followed Santana.

"You were supposed to be my friend," she yelled at Santana,"Friends don't sleep with their friends boyfriends."

"Well if the pot isn't calling the kettle black," Santana said back, her tone cold. Quinn wasn't sure what possessed her, but she shoved Santana to the ground.

Santana jumped up and got right in Quinn's face. "Oh, you are so lucky you're pregnant, otherwise I would take you down."

"Q, my office now," the shattering voice of Coach Sylvester broke the girls apart.

Quinn followed the coach into her office. It didn't matter what she said, the end result was the same, Quinn was off the Cheerios. She wanted to demand from the Coach to know what she was supposed to do now. She'd given everything to the Cheerios and to Finn. And now she had neither.

As she walked out, she heard the coach tell Santana that she was now the captain of the squad. Santana ran over to Puck and kissed him, then she hugged Finn. Quinn gave both girls a disgusted look. Santana took a few steps away from the boys, so that what she said next was just between her, Quinn, and Brittany. "So how does it feel to know that everything you once had is now mine?"

Quinn looked at the ground, knowing she had nothing to be proud of here. And the words truly hit home. She had nothing left, not even her so called friends. And she was in no position to get it back. Her vision clouded with tears as she left the gym, pausing by the closed door to slide down the wall and cry.

Brittany turned to Santana and shook her head. "She's our friend," she said before following Quinn outside.


End file.
